The benevolent banner., 1887-09-10

church, and colored Baptist churches
were outgrowths Of the same spirit.
1t was not the colored Christians,
but the white Christians who, to their
eternal shame and damnation, drew |
the line and continue to draw It even |
unto this hour. Turn 20 the Mason
ic, the Odd Fellows and the knights |
of Pvthias orders did cOlOred men |
draw the line in these? Did they set
up cClored lodges all over the country
because they did not care to frater-
nize with the white order? The an
swer can be Inferred when it is stated
that white Masons, white Odd Eel
lows and white knights Of Pythias
even at this hour refuse TO fraternize
with, or TO recognize the legality or
regularity Of the orders their actions
caused colored men to establish. Do
colored people desire separate Grand
Lodges in the Temperance Order?
Did they ask tor such? No! But the
reunited last week at conference at
Saratoga. n. Y, and the only condi-
ton on which the American order
would consent to reunion was that
the British order would acknowledge
that its action of eleven years ago in
seeding from the order on the color
question was odious and unsOund in
principle. SO that the second section
Of the article of agreement provides
that in any juris diction Of white and
colored Templars, there must be sepa-
rate Grand Lodges, provided either
side insists upon it; and we know the
whites, especially those Of the South,
will insist on it every time, the same
as they do now in church conferences,
in all charitable and philanthrO pical
works, educational and other. We
do not object; we simply seek TO
make 1t plain that we have not been
the ones heretofore to draw the color
line. But we haye this to say: We
advise all colored Templars to draw
out Of this reunited order. If they
must be separated because they are
colored, let them stand up like men
in their own order, where color will
not be q brand of Odium; let them
torn an order of their own, the same
as they have churches Of their own
The eternal compromises Of our man
hood and self respect true Of the past
must cease. Right is right, and We
should at no time or under any cir
cumstances, compromise upon any
thing but absolute right. If the
white men cannot rescue our drunk
ards and evangelize our sinners ex
cept by insulting US, let him keeE
away from US. His contamination
under such conditions does US mor'
harm than good. 1t is not we who
haye drawn the color line. That i
pure nonsense.
TAKE OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS;
take the schools and colleges through
out the land-who draw the colo
line in these? Is there a colOre'
school Of any sort in the South wher
white applicant would be refuse'
admission on account of his color
Not one! Is there white school j
the South where a colored applican
would not be refused admission o
account Of his color? Not one! Th
thing is plain. The white man draw
the color line in everything he ha
anything to do with. He is saturate
with the black mud of prejudice an
intolerance. What political part
has ever treated colored voters 6
other than voting dummies and co
ored leaders as other than convenier
tools? We have controlled mil!io
votes annually for twenty years, en-
what have we to show for then
Where are tne colored men who hav
been honored above their fellows b
the men we have placed in hig
places? One or two diplomatic:plact
OF the third class and 8 few mine
places now mostly covered:.by Civ
Service rules, fiji up the list, TT
elective officers do not count her
They were the result of our ow
votes. Where are the Laws anywhel
outside the three constitution
amendments enacted to insure u
our rights? Where are they: "
protest that we have squauderedsol
voting.strength aud our brain pow